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Document 62012CJ0203
Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber), 17 October 2013.#Billerud Karlsborg AB and Billerud Skärblacka AB v Naturvårdsverket.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Högsta domstolen.#Directive 2003/87/EC — Scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading — Penalty for excess emissions — Concept of excess emission — Equated with infringement of the obligation to surrender, within the time periods prescribed by the directive, a sufficient number of allowances to cover the emissions from the previous year — No exculpatory cause in the event of actual holding of non-surrendered allowances, unless force majeure — No possibility of varying the amount of the penalty — Proportionality.#Case C‑203/12.
Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber), 17 October 2013.
Billerud Karlsborg AB and Billerud Skärblacka AB v Naturvårdsverket.
Request for a preliminary ruling from the Högsta domstolen.
Directive 2003/87/EC — Scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading — Penalty for excess emissions — Concept of excess emission — Equated with infringement of the obligation to surrender, within the time periods prescribed by the directive, a sufficient number of allowances to cover the emissions from the previous year — No exculpatory cause in the event of actual holding of non-surrendered allowances, unless force majeure — No possibility of varying the amount of the penalty — Proportionality.
Case C‑203/12.
Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber), 17 October 2013.
Billerud Karlsborg AB and Billerud Skärblacka AB v Naturvårdsverket.
Request for a preliminary ruling from the Högsta domstolen.
Directive 2003/87/EC — Scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading — Penalty for excess emissions — Concept of excess emission — Equated with infringement of the obligation to surrender, within the time periods prescribed by the directive, a sufficient number of allowances to cover the emissions from the previous year — No exculpatory cause in the event of actual holding of non-surrendered allowances, unless force majeure — No possibility of varying the amount of the penalty — Proportionality.
Case C‑203/12.
Court reports – general
ECLI identifier: ECLI:EU:C:2013:664
- Date of document:
- 17/10/2013
- Date lodged:
- 30/04/2012
- Author:
- Court of Justice
- Country or organisation from which the request originates:
- Sweden
- Form:
- Judgment
- Authentic language:
- Swedish
- Type of procedure:
- Reference for a preliminary ruling
- Judge-Rapporteur:
- Bonichot
- Advocate General:
- Mengozzi
- National court:
-
*A9* Högsta domstolen, beslut av 24/04/2012 (Mål nr Ö 461-11)
*P1* Högsta domstolen, beslut av 25/02/2014 (Mål nr Ö 461-11)
- Treaty:
- Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
- Link
- Select all documents mentioning this document
- Case affecting:
-
- Interprets 32003L0087 A16P3
- Interprets 32003L0087 A16P4
- Affected by case:
-
- N3 Interpreted by 62019CO0113
- Instruments cited in case law:
-
- 12008E191-P2: N 23
- 32003L0087-A04: N 4
- 32003L0087-A06P2: N 5
- 32003L0087-A06P2LE: N 25
- 32003L0087-A10: N 6 29
- 32003L0087-A11P4: N 7 29
- 32003L0087-A12: N 8
- 32003L0087-A12P3: N 25 39
- 32003L0087-A16: N 25
- 32003L0087-A16P1: N 10
- 32003L0087-A16P2: N 9
- 32003L0087-A16P3: N 1 9 20 21 23 28 32 39 42
- 32003L0087-A16P4: N 1 9 20 21 23 28 32 39 42
- 32003L0087-A19: N 11 27
- 32003L0087-C1: N 36
- 32003L0087-C5: N 3
- 32003L0087-C6: N 3
- 32003L0087-C7: N 3
- 32003L0087: N 30 38 40
- 32004R2216-A52: N 12 28
- 61978CJ0154: N 31
- 61994CJ0084: N 35
- 61994CJ0233: N 35 36
- 62001CJ0189: N 37
- 62003CJ0210: N 35
- 62007CJ0127: N 26 27
- 62008CJ0058: N 34
- 62012CJ0099: N 31
- Notes relating to the decision:
-
- 5. Cassagnabère, Hervé: Amende pour émission excédentaire : rien ne sert de feindre l'étourderie, Revue juridique de l'Economie publique 2014 nº 718 p.28-31 (FR)
- 4. Peeters, M.: Milieu en recht 2014 p.99-100 (NL)
- 1. Ehrmann, Markus: Sanktion wegen nicht rechtzeitiger Abgabe der Zertifikate für Treibhausgasemissionen, Neue Zeitschrift für Verwaltungsrecht 2013 p.1539-1540 (DE)
- 3. Bouveresse, Aude: Système d'échanges de quotas d'émission de gaz à effet de serre, Europe 2013 Décembre Comm. nº 12 p.50 (FR)
- 6. Schmauch, Magnus: Judgments of the ECJ Do not Bind Courts in Sweden if Their Application Would Result in a Manifest Violation of the ECHR, European Law Reporter 2015 p.42-45 (EN)
- 7. Čičak, Ana-Marija: The Principle of Proportionality and the Billerud Ruling, CROATIAN YEARBOOK OF EUROPEAN LAW & POLICY 2017 Vol. 13 p.255-290 (EN)
- 2. Aubert, Michel ; Broussy, Emmanuelle ; Cassagnabère, Hervé: Chronique de jurisprudence de la CJUE. La notion d'« émissions excédentaires », passible d'une amende fixée par la directive 2003/87/CE du 13 octobre 2003, est assimilée à un manquement à l'obligation de restituer, au plus tard le 30 avril de l'année en cours, un nombre de quotas suffisant pour couvrir les émissions de l'année écoulée. Disposer à cette date d'un nombre suffisant de quotas n'y change rien, sauf cas de force majeure. Et le juge national ne saurait moduler le montant de cette amende au nom du principe de proportionnalité, L'actualité juridique ; droit administratif 2013 p.2311-2312 (FR)
- Subject matter:
- Case law directory code:
-
Case C‑203/12
Billerud Karlsborg AB
and
Billerud Skärblacka AB v Naturvårdsverket
(Request for a preliminary ruling from the Högsta domstolen)
‛Directive 2003/87/EC — Scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading — Penalty for excess emissions — Concept of excess emission — Equated with infringement of the obligation to surrender, within the time periods prescribed by the directive, a sufficient number of allowances to cover the emissions from the previous year — No exculpatory cause in the event of actual holding of non-surrendered allowances, unless force majeure — No possibility of varying the amount of the penalty — Proportionality’
Summary — Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber), 17 October 2013
-
Environment — Atmospheric pollution — Directive 2003/87 — Scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading — Penalty in the event of non-surrender of a sufficient number of allowances within the time period — Operator having a sufficient number of allowances — No effect — Force majeure — Conditions
(European Parliament and Council Directive 2003/87, Art. 16(3) and (4))
-
EU law — Principles — Proportionality — Scope — Discretion of the EU legislature — Judicial review — Limits — Assessment in the light of the material available at the time of adoption of the measure
-
Environment — Atmospheric pollution — Directive 2003/87 — Scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading — Penalty in the event of non-surrender of a sufficient number of allowances within the time period — No possibility for the national court to vary the penalty — No infringement of principle of proportionality
(European Parliament and Council Directive 2003/87, Art. 16(3) and (4))
-
Article 16(3) and (4) of Directive 2003/87 establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community and amending Directive 96/61 must be interpreted as precluding operators who have not surrendered, by 30 April of the current year, the carbon dioxide equivalent allowances equal to their emissions for the preceding year, from avoiding the imposition of a penalty for the excess emissions for which it provides, even where they hold a sufficient number of allowances on that date.
Even in the absence of specific provisions, however, recognition of circumstances constituting force majeure is possible. It is then for the referring court to determine whether the operator, despite all due care having been exercised in order to comply with time limits, was faced with unusual and unforeseeable circumstances which were beyond its control and went beyond mere internal breakdown.
(see paras 31, 32, operative part 1)
-
See the text of the decision.
(see paras 34-37)
-
The penalty for excess emissions provided for by Directive 2003/87 establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community and amending Directive 96/61 cannot be considered to be contrary to the principle of proportionality on the ground that there is no possibility for the amount to be varied by a national court.
Consequently, Article 16(3) and (4) of Directive 2003/87 must be interpreted as meaning that the amount of the lump sum penalty provided for therein may not be varied by a national court on the basis of the principle of proportionality.
(see paras 38, 42, operative part 2)
Case C‑203/12
Billerud Karlsborg AB
and
Billerud Skärblacka AB v Naturvårdsverket
(Request for a preliminary ruling from the Högsta domstolen)
‛Directive 2003/87/EC — Scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading — Penalty for excess emissions — Concept of excess emission — Equated with infringement of the obligation to surrender, within the time periods prescribed by the directive, a sufficient number of allowances to cover the emissions from the previous year — No exculpatory cause in the event of actual holding of non-surrendered allowances, unless force majeure — No possibility of varying the amount of the penalty — Proportionality’
Summary — Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber), 17 October 2013
-
Environment — Atmospheric pollution — Directive 2003/87 — Scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading — Penalty in the event of non-surrender of a sufficient number of allowances within the time period — Operator having a sufficient number of allowances — No effect — Force majeure — Conditions
(European Parliament and Council Directive 2003/87, Art. 16(3) and (4))
-
EU law — Principles — Proportionality — Scope — Discretion of the EU legislature — Judicial review — Limits — Assessment in the light of the material available at the time of adoption of the measure
-
Environment — Atmospheric pollution — Directive 2003/87 — Scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading — Penalty in the event of non-surrender of a sufficient number of allowances within the time period — No possibility for the national court to vary the penalty — No infringement of principle of proportionality
(European Parliament and Council Directive 2003/87, Art. 16(3) and (4))
-
Article 16(3) and (4) of Directive 2003/87 establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community and amending Directive 96/61 must be interpreted as precluding operators who have not surrendered, by 30 April of the current year, the carbon dioxide equivalent allowances equal to their emissions for the preceding year, from avoiding the imposition of a penalty for the excess emissions for which it provides, even where they hold a sufficient number of allowances on that date.
Even in the absence of specific provisions, however, recognition of circumstances constituting force majeure is possible. It is then for the referring court to determine whether the operator, despite all due care having been exercised in order to comply with time limits, was faced with unusual and unforeseeable circumstances which were beyond its control and went beyond mere internal breakdown.
(see paras 31, 32, operative part 1)
-
See the text of the decision.
(see paras 34-37)
-
The penalty for excess emissions provided for by Directive 2003/87 establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community and amending Directive 96/61 cannot be considered to be contrary to the principle of proportionality on the ground that there is no possibility for the amount to be varied by a national court.
Consequently, Article 16(3) and (4) of Directive 2003/87 must be interpreted as meaning that the amount of the lump sum penalty provided for therein may not be varied by a national court on the basis of the principle of proportionality.
(see paras 38, 42, operative part 2)
